


All Love Starts As A Scheme

by ChingKittyCat



Series: PSMD Rewritten [7]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anger, Conversations, During Canon, Family Issues, Gen, Lies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:01:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28043610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChingKittyCat/pseuds/ChingKittyCat
Summary: Hero couldn't believe Partner fell for Dark Matter's pleas for life, after all the things it had done to the both of them.
Series: PSMD Rewritten [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2057577
Comments: 4
Kudos: 7





	All Love Starts As A Scheme

Unfortunately for Pokemon like Nuzleaf, when Partner had said that Dark Matter ‘had a place on this planet alongside everyone’— they meant it in all facets of the sentence. It was a daring act of humanization on their part, and a daring risk of danger to themselves and the rest of the planet too. 

They had put the object of their eradication into their satchel bag much like they would’ve an Escape Orb, Communication Orb, or any other orb. The Tree of Life was there to protect them from Dark Matter then, but after they were teleported off, Hero was more than sure they would be going right back down into the Voidlands to rejoin the rest of the world.

The most Dark Matter did when they were back amongst everyone else was zap anything close enough to it. So, mostly Partner. It was easily remedied by closing the cloth lid of the satchel, plunging the ungodly creature into blissful darkness— much like trying to calm down a stray cat after catching it inside of a trap. 

The Tree of Life was later guided back down to the ground by an exhausted Xerneas, and the trio of statued ‘baddies’ on it were retrieved. There was this big reveal that Partner had been Mew this whole time, and Hero their friend in a past life or something. It was sort of underwhelming (considering the gravity of the situation they’d just been in), random, confusing, and Partner had decided it was best to talk to Xerneas without Dark Matter overhearing, so they had left their satchel with Hero while they went to talk. 

So that’s where they both were, now. In a world full of statue-ified creatures, a grand evil alien in their bag, and a monolithic task ahead of them. They sighed, sitting down whilst Partner chatted (well, more like rambled) Xerneas up about their whole adventure and fight against Dark Matter— as though the legendary Pokemon hadn’t been watching the entire time.

“of ALL THE pLanETS... OF alL thE mOrTaLs... oF COUrsE…” They heard Dark Matter mumbling, faintly.

A sick bile filled their mind as they reminisced on all of their plight. Of Nuzleaf adopting them, of all the things that’d played out under Dark Matter’s grand machinations of pure evil. Now they had to clean up its mess, and for reasons not even clear to Hero, they had to keep it alive. 

Was it selfish to wish that the next generation deal with it? They would be condemned to a fate probably worse than what had befallen the planet now, though, if what Dark Matter had said when it pleaded for its life was true. But how were they to know? Partner was too compassionate for their own good, maybe, believing a master manipulator and possessor like this abomination.

Hero narrowed their eyes and huffed, and thankfully the few words Dark Matter spoke after were too hushed for them to hear properly over the hate-filled ringing in their ears. They believed in Partner’s ideology and dreams strongly enough to hold them back from grabbing Dark Matter then just smashing it against a rock until it disappeared into dust.

“Okay, I have good news and I have bad news,” Partner squeaked as they finally ran back over to Hero, “so! Good news first! Xerneas is going to help us with making people not be statues anymore! Bad news is it might take a while..”

Hero saw a mischievous glint in Partner’s eyes as they spoke about this ‘bad’ news. Hero gestured for Partner to go on, and they puffed out their chest.

“But it’s not all bad, because we get to go on tons more adventures to help everyone out! We’ll make even more friends than before, and then they’ll help us make more friends as we slowly get the whole world fixed right up! It’s not a total disaster— just one big rescue mission!”

Hero snorted in disbelief, yet found themselves smiling at Partner’s conclusion. Well, that’s one way to try and brighten the situation, and it was Partner’s alone. No matter how many punches they took to the face, they really just dared to stand there, smiling about perhaps the worst catastrophe to wrack the planet.. Because they were going to be the one to fix it, together, and it was only going to be an exponential effort.

“I’m thinking we should help out Expedition Society first, after we get Nuzleaf and everyone else in the area all ok’d to help us out.”

Hero looked over to Espurr and the others who gazed worryingly up at the sky. Hero followed her gaze.

Hundreds of rocks, plummeting. No, not rocks— Pokemon. Birds, Psychic types, the whole shebang. Faster and faster they rocketed towards their doom below, and louder only did the revelation in everyone’s mind become.

_What if they shattered when they landed?_

In the distance, they heard Xerneas snort and squeal, stamping their hooves. They bowed their head and with a thrust up, a mighty energy shockwave of pure psychic energy discharging from their horns into the sky above. Right before those various birds (and legends of floating repute) met their hypothetical doom, they were caught in the sling of Xerneas’s power and lowered without a scratch.

Hero and Partner both sighed out in relief, letting out their breaths that they didn’t know they were holding.

At the very least they all knew what the first order of business was. Though, they couldn’t actually do very much. It was in Xerneas’s capable hooves. 

Without so much as a move, Xerneas went to work. Twinkling brightly, slowly the statue-ification of the grounded Pokemon faded, returning them to life and mobility. Celebi blinked around confusedly as he returned to life.

The other bird Pokemon decided to flutter away, a bit disturbed but relatively unharmed.

“Thank goodness we have Xerneas on our side, huh? We would be real lost without them.” Partner laughed because they had nothing else they could do but laugh. Hero laughed nervously at the idea of losing the Tree of Life in the whole scuffle.

“I sense our culprit is still among us.” Xerneas bowed their head beside Partner, making the much smaller Pokemon jump. 

“Um, well..” Partner sputtered. “You know how I was telling you about the-”

“I am well aware of Dark Matter’s pleads. You need not explain them to me, or your reasoning for keeping it alive.” Xerneas said gently, though their half-lidded eyes carried a poisonous rage buried deep inside of their pupils. Having it directed even quarter of the way in Hero’s direction made their whole body tense up. 

“Oh, good!” Partner chirped, completely blind to their friend’s terror. “Well, then there’s not much to really talk about in regards to all that, right? We should get to work!”

“I would like to speak to it, first.”

“Is that really a good idea?” Partner blinked.

“It is imperative.” Xerneas cooed. 

Partner looked to Hero for an answer, or a side that they’d take. Hero knew that look in Xerneas’s eyes. It was the same look a Pokemon from a Mystery Dungeon had when they sighted someone to beat into dust, thinly veiled behind the regality of their illustrious being.

Hero sympathized, but they shook their head.

Xerneas sighed and straightened up slowly. A faint crackle of energy licked between their horns, a pulse of the gems enshrined atop that mighty golden crown.

“I will talk as though it is listening.” Xerneas raised their voice. “Dark Matter, your time on this planet has caused nothing but chaos, distrust, and hatred. Your time weakening me is over, and you will never get another chance, for so long as I breathe, I will see to it that your newfound _imprisonment_ is generational.”

“Well, imprisonment isn’t really the right word for it,” Partner tried to backtrack, “think of it like just living on the planet and uh, always having a babysitter! Though Pops never got a babysitter for _me_ , it’ll probably be just like having one.”

Hero looked down at the satchel. They could feel the faint heat of Dark Matter’s core through the simple cloth, yet they heard nothing. Not even a bolt of static lashing against the metal of the lid’s clasp.

“I have nothing more to say to it. I am eternally grateful to the both of you for your service to the planet on this day, by ridding my branches of the fungus weakening it. Please, keep it under watchful eye.” Xerneas paused. “There is no telling how many enemies it will have from this.”

And not all would be as reserved and capable of holding themselves back as Xerneas either, Hero thought to themselves.

“We’ll take good care of it, don’t worry. Dark Matter won’t be getting into any trouble so long as me and Hero are around!”

“Thank you, Mew. I leave it in your capable paws.”

Not that Partner even looked like Mew in any capacity, but uh, sure, that totally didn’t make the conversation a little awkward. Partner seemed to sense some part of Hero’s discomfort and coughed.

“Are Nuzleaf and his gang going to be unstoned?” Partner tilted their head.

“I must tend to Yvetal after everyone has left the premises, but I have already brought Nuzleaf and the Beheeyem out of their stasis.” 

Hero smiled despite the sour taste in their mouth. They looked around and Xerneas scoffed good-naturedly at the child looking for their parent.

“He is around the side of the tree. I will leave you to it.” Xerneas bowed their head, gracefully trotting off.

Hero hap-hazardly shoved the satchel bag onto Partner with all the haste of trying to get rid of a hot potato as they dashed around to the side of the tree to check on their adoptive father. Nuzleaf startled from their sudden appearance and subsequent sudden hug.

The Beheeyem awkwardly shuffled around as Nuzleaf hovered his hands around Hero, then setting them down on them.

“Kid, y’know, I.. I know it ain’t right of me to do what I did. It don’t matter if I was possessed, I still hurt ya by doing what I did.”

Hero glowered at him with the nastiest, misty-eyed face they could muster. He sucked in his breath through his teeth.

“I’ll do my best to help ya’ ‘n partner too, with gettin’ rid of all the statues. Y’ain’t alone, and… I feel like that’s the very least I could do for ya. It’s.. I don’t think it’s right you stay with me anymore.”

Hero punched him. Nuzleaf grunted. Supposedly now got the message to shut up and enjoy the moment before Hero decided they wanted to be even more mad about him victimblaming himself. How could someone dare to say ‘oh, it’s my fault all my control was ripped from me and I was dancing like a puppet on a string for some evil overlord of destruction’? Was he **that** stupid? How _dare_ he hate himself that much.

Nuzleaf sighed softly, sitting down. Hero decided they needed a bit of space, breaking the hug and wiping their eyes to sit right in front of him.

“It’s not that I don’t- y’gotta understand kid, I.. I can’t be around ya anymore. I’m a bad influence, and whenever I look at you.. I think of all that. As soon as I’m able, I’m goin’ to talk to Caracosta about this.”

Hero felt hiccups coming on. He was traumatized, they got that, but what about them? What about them losing an adoptive father, just to be pawned off on another? Ugh, they can’t think like this.. They hardly even knew Nuzleaf— he was hardly even ever around! But something about him made them want to cry, to yell at him about this.

They let him know exactly how they felt, sniffles and sobs all inside of their monologue.

“I-I get that’s how you feel, but.. I’m sorry. It’s not good for either of us to stay around eachother any more, kid.. Until I can forgive myself, I.. Can’t. It’s unhealthy, and it ain’t fair to you.” Nuzleaf looked like he was about to clutch at his own heart strings.

Hero punched him again, harder this time. Nuzleaf shoved them back and they squabbled a little.

“I know ya don’t understand, and ya won’t until you’re older. It’s for your own good, y’hear?” Nuzleaf sniffled, his eyes beginning to get red. “Let’s just get along until then, alright? I’ll be goin’ off with the Beheeyem and hopefully Yvetal to bring folks to the tree.”

Hero’s anger, slapped aside by Nuzleaf and dismissed, grew until Hero couldn’t sit around him. They needed to leave before they did something they regret. They stomped off all the way back to Partner, who gave them a knowing, silent hug.

Hero whimpered a bit, hating themselves for crying over something so comparably inconsequential and personal. There were better things to cry about than having one room-temperature emotionally warm family torn apart; there were children and parents being split up in the Voidlands, their lives becoming towering, living nightmares the longer they stayed as statues.

* * *

“thErE Is NOtHinG TO WIn. YOuR woRld HAs beEN THRALLED in my DaRkNeSS. to sAVe youRsElF froM ThE PAIn, iT iS bETter TO GiVe Up whILe YOu'rE StILl UnhuRT.”

Both Hero and Partner jumped at the sound of Dark Matter’s voice— albeit hushed— ringing out across their little camping spot. To be honest, Hero had almost forgotten that accursed voice, but now it was back to tinge their memories with its presence.

Thank goodness their Salamance ally they brought along on this rescue mission was already asleep.

“Well well well! Someone’s feeling talkative!” Partner sounded excited like they always did. 

They rummaged through the bag, pulling Dark Matter’s core out from the bottom, underneath all the apples, seeds, and wands. They flinched as Dark Matter zapped them all up and down, but they unhanded Dark Matter as soon as it was on the top of their bag’s pile. Hero snorted bitterly. Partner could withstand it, but that didn’t mean Hero was meant to appreciate the attack.

“yOU aRe cHIlDReN. YoU ARe NOT meAnT tO DO ThiS. YOu Are ALREAdy MarRED by TrAUmA AND GRieF, tHE MoRE yOU SUBjecT YoUrSElf to IT thE mOre yOU WILl bE hAuntED by It In yOuR fuTure. gIve up.”

Partner frowned alongside Hero. Hero knew Dark Matter was making sense, but Partner was a bit more.. Well…

“Just because I’m a kid doesn’t mean I can’t handle everything an adult does! Hero and I can get through anything so long as we work together! We went through so many trials and tests and tasks and fights, and we even beat you! What’s another few quests saving the last people who need to be saved?”

“YOU WiLL destroy yoUrsELf. YeaRs frOM NoW— oR pErhApS iN MONTHs OR WEeKS, DePEnDING ON HoW LOnG THis All tAkes To GO bAcK tO 'NoRmaL'— You WILl BE sTrikeN With NotHiNG BUT Memories, reGrETS, And a deep SadNEsS yOU caNNOt eaSe.” 

Hero shifted uncomfortably. Partner narrowed their eyes and gawked wordlessly.

“fOr now yoU mAY feEL finE, BUT aS SooN as pEaCe REtUrNS, You will be NOtHinG BuT HuSKS of CreAturEs RoBbEd Of tHeiR ChILDHoOds. YeaRs FRom nOW YOu wILL BEcoMe UNdOnE, MUCh Like nUZLEAF Was.”

Partner had to push Hero away to keep them from straight tackling Dark Matter’s core. A deep, throaty growl escaped their throat as they submitted and backed off. Partner sighed, looking down at Dark Matter like it were some disappointing test grade.

“Let’s not talk about Mr. Nuzleaf around Hero. They’re still sensitive about his entire dad persona just being all made up by you.”

“hE made his PersONA HimSELF. that wAS his job— To DeceIvE yOU inTO trUstINg HIM. wIth THe pErsoN yOU ArE bOUNd To becoMe, no ONe ever wIlL loVE HIM as coMPLeTELy as pReTEnDed TO.”

“Hero, Dark Matter’s just trying to get to you so it can be destroyed then come back stronger in the future.” Partner said with a deadly seriousness before Hero could even so much as budge. “No matter what, I will always be your friend, and we will get through these tough times together. You are my best friend, and we’re going to have more friends than we can count who love us for who we are.”

“i cANNOt BElIEVE i rEAlly wAS defEAteD BY _chILDREn_ whO ThInK likE tHIS…” Dark Matter hissed. 

“And Mr Nuzleaf, Beheeyem, and Yvetal!” Partner pointed at the orb. “They all found enough good in their hearts to break free of their possession and-”

“WHAt?”

“What?” Partner sputtered.

“I CANNOT POsSEss morTalS, thEy WILlInglY WorKED toGeThER WITH Me! pOSseSSIOn- THey beTrAYED ME! i kNEW THEy weRE weAk IN thE heAd AND HEart, WHiCH IS wHy tHEy fOUgHt agAiNSt mE! They LOoKEd IntO THE AbYss aNd FLInCHED! tHey cOULD noT cOmE TO TErMs WIth ThEIr DEmIse, So THey SwiTCHEd To yOuR SidE IN soME graND vaLORous acT of SELfLeSsnEss!”

Dark Matter was a manipulator. It got Nuzleaf into its clutches alongside a legendary and three very calculating yet rather emotionally warm alien guys. This was just another tactic. This was gaslighting, Hero was sure. That had to be the right term for this. Or maybe just straight up lying is the best way to describe it.

“Nuzleaf and the others were possessed. We saw how they acted while they were under your control! The smoke, the growling, they were completely different people!”

“aLl Of THEM knoW How TO AcT! HoW eLSe DO you ThINK nUzLEaf COnVINcEd thaT FOOL OVEr ThErE ThAt he actUaLLY CaREd aboUT them?!”

“Hero has perfectly normal intelligence! And all of them were possessed, that’s why! Dark Matter, we’re not going to fall for such an obvious lie like that! Mr. Nuzleaf is a good person, deep down, and you took advantage of him and possessed him so that way he felt too guilty to break free!”

“no! NO! HE bEtRaYED ME! I cAn'T possEsS ThiNGs! hE'S LyinG tO yoU So He- sO alL Of theM caN GEt AWaY and LIVE hiS LifE WiThoUT ANy CoNSeQuenCEs! YoU CaN't HoNEstly bElIEvE hiM- i- He BEtRAyed mE!”

“I’d believe Mr. Nuzleaf over you any day! He and Hero, they’re always grieving over what you did to them! He told us about how he was trapped in his own mind, watching his actions play out without him being able to do anything!”

“NO! NO! I HAVE NO reaSON TO LIe tO yoU!”

“Yes you do! You’re negativity incarnate! Deception and lies is probably one of the things you feed off of!”

“yoU'RE cAughT iN HIS WEB OF LIes BECAusE YOu'RE SO ConvinCeD thAt soMeone WHo's BEen niCe To You HaS tO haVE An eASy, ExPLAinaBLE rEasOn FoR LaShiNG oUt AND BeING 'RaNdOmLy' EvIL! why ARE yOU so cONvInCeD THAt-”

“My Pops said he knew Nuzleaf from before all of this happened! He knew him for years! Mr. Nuzleaf was sad and introverted and a little awkward, thats what he told me! He would never be an evil man, he would never willingly work together with you! None of them would’ve!”

“use YOUR BRAIn FOR one SEcONd! i HAVe NotHInG tO gaiN By LYING TO YoU aBOut nOt BeING ABLe to PoSsEsS peOPle! NuzLEaF HaS EveRythiNg to GAIn! He IS DECEiVinG you! hE is TRYINg tO geT AwAY wITH a crIME aGaInsT the pLanEt!”

Partner snarled at them, positively fuming. Dark Matter seemed to be equally as pumped with argument adrenaline, shocking a small vicinity around its core. Even Partner seemed to be at their wits end with this logic loop of absolute stupidity.

Then Partner realized something that Hero was too rage-blinded to even consider.

“You’re just trying to stir up more negative emotions around you so you can heal yourself. I get it now.” Partner sighed, placing one of their little hands on Dark Matter. 

Dark Matter electrocuted them harshly, making their arm spasm and them cry out in alarm, but they kept it on the core. Hero kept themselves back from lunging forward to help Partner, but didn’t keep their scowl from deepening.

“Does this crack on you hurt?” Partner asked, compassion clear. “Is that why you’re trying to hurt me and Hero?”

“dON'T touCh ME. LeT gO Of- dON'T- YoU're just trYiNG to iGNorE tHe thINGS i Was sAYinG!”

“Well, you’re not answering my question either.”

“I dOn't FEel, I-i CAn'T feeL PAiN iN anY ForM, It doEsn'T-”

Hero quickly objected to that. They remembered the fear and hurt in Dark Matter’s voice when they were on the tree. The way it roared in agony, the way it pleaded for its life after it had been beaten into helplessness.

Partner nodded at their observation.

“You’re a liar, Dark Matter. You’re just causing problems to heal yourself." 

“nO-”

“I don’t know how I can make the pain of this crack on you go away,” Partner unhanded the core, “but we can’t have you go back to full power. You’re just out to hurt as many people as possible!”

“NO, thAt'S- it's DifFErEnt- he diD BEtRaY mE! I didn'T POSSeSS him! I caN't POssEss ThiNgS- he'S jUsT GoING to GeT away WITH oNe oF tHe wOrst cRiMES againSt yOUr PLAneT To hAvE Ever HAppeNED!”

Hero asked one simple question; why did Dark Matter even care if that ‘hypothetically’ was the case. It didn’t make much if _any_ sense. Evil always wanted evil to flourish, so why drag Nuzleaf down with it? Obviously it just wanted to cause a stir and get an innocent man to take the fall with it.

“Hero’s right. Because Nuzleaf broke free of your possession, you want to drag him down with you to just completely destroy him. Then maybe possess him again.”

The fire crackle permeated the air, providing some white noise to assuage the awkwardness of the tense, emotional silence. Dark Matter’s zapping weakened into nothing.

“NUzleAf… YoU...” It muttered, then said nothing more.

Both Hero and Partner waited for something, maybe some other long monologue, but it never came. Partner tucked Dark Matter back into the bag, deep down enough for it to be dark and probably much more comfortable.

Hero stared at the ground, kicking dust and rocks. Partner pat them on the back, sniffling a bit, still shaking from the adrenaline. Hero felt like they had ‘won’ that arguement in some portions, but all the insults.. The warning of what was to come after they fixed and saved the world.. It hung heavy in their mind.

It felt like it was an absolute truth.


End file.
